Bethenny Frankel Returns to RHONY, But This Time, She's Leaving Her Relationship With Jason Hoppy Out of It

"Some parts of my life aren't very positive and I don't think that would make great television."

Now that her divorce from Jason Hoppy and their custody battle over 4-year-old daughter Bryn are settled; her new book, I Suck at Dating So You Don't Have To, is about to hit the shelves; a few new Skinnygirl cocktails have been unveiled; and her budding relationship with financier Michael Cerussi is public, Bethenny is about to take another risk. No, it's not a marijuana line—she confirmed that's just a rumor. It's her return to RHONY.

"I missed my connection with the audience. They hadn't seen me in a while," Bethenny recently told REDBOOK at the South Beach Wine and Food Festival. "I missed the honesty, not being filtered, and being able to say what I want, which you can do at nighttime. On a daytime television talk show, you cannot express yourself," she says, referring to her daytime talk show, Bethenny, which was canceled after a short run. "I used to think there was some shame in being a reality star, and now I really take pride in it. It's kind of my genre, and I embrace it and I see it from a different perspective now." Well, we certainly couldn't be happier, because we did miss her blunt humor and inspirational storyline.

When she was deciding whether to go back to the show, she had one request: for the show to return to reality. "I think the last couple seasons were more catty and much ado about nothing, just kind of hashing and rehashing something that was inconsequential and a little bit sensationalized," she criticizes. We can only assume she is referring to the ongoing Aviva-versus-Carole battle. "Now it feels really real again. I'm not going to be on a show that isn't real. I won't do something that's not real. I am not going to have conversations that aren't real. I am very militant about that."

While her personal life is extremely entertaining, we won't be seeing much of it on the upcoming season, which just wrapped filming. "I keep certain things private because it affects other people who didn't make that choice," Bethenny explains of why she will not be showing much of her daughter or her romantic relationship on the show. "My life and my career and my interactions with the women are interesting enough." Well, we know that's true. Cue the "Crazy Island" flashbacks. "Some parts of my life aren't very positive, and I don't think that would make great television. People want to escape rather than feel like it's dark, [and] some things can be dark," she tells REDBOOK, possibly referring to her conflict with Jason.

Bethenny did confirm that she and veteran housewife Countess LuAnn are getting along splendidly, but she's not a fan of some of the other cast members, which include Heather Thompson, Ramona Singer, Sonja Morgan, Carole Radziwill, Kristen Taekman, and new housewife Dorinda Medley. "I have some issues with some of them, but I'm pretty open and honest about it. You'll see. I think people will be surprised by who I do get along with and who I don't get along with."

RHONY reunite

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She will admit that there is no housewife she absolutely despises. "I don't even know if I have a least favorite, because all the least favorites have gotten axed… the least favorites don't last that long," she responds when we ask which housewife she likes the least. Cough, Kelly Bensimon, cough.

The last question we have for Bethenny is… how?! Between her business, books, and the show, how does she strike a balance between her career and motherhood? "I am very intense, and when I'm with my daughter, I am with my daughter, and my entire schedule revolves around that. When I am not with her, it's really a lot of work. There's not much in between…. It's hard as a mom to achieve balance, because you don't always get a good night's sleep but you strive for it." Don't we know it.

And what about throwing dating into the mix? "It's great. There's nothing really hard about it," Bethenny says of an activity that often drives women crazy. Easy for her to say when she has a hunk of a boyfriend who remained by her side throughout this entire interview, looking on adoringly. "You have to balance it with the rest of your life, but I think it's fun. The unknown is what's interesting." True, true, Bethenny. Good thing we get to come along for the ride again.

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